Newly launched London period care range aims to 'reboot' femcare

Today sees the launch of Freda, a London-based startup providing organic, eco-friendly period care range.

Freda’s tampons are made of organic cotton which are biodegradable, hypoallergenic - and free from chemicals and synthetic fibres commonly found in some big brand tampons - whilst its pads contain 100% eco-friendly, biodegradable materials.

The company has also pledged to donate portion of every Freda purchase to initiatives worldwide tackling period poverty.

The founder of Freda, Affi Parvizi-Wayne, started the company after seeing refugees stuck at European border crossings on the news and wondering how they managed their periods.

She said: “From transparency to responsibility to access, the whole femcare space needs rebooting. And Freda is here to reboot it.”

“We want to talk openly about the subject without patronising women or telling them how to live their periods. We want to embrace how we experience periods and start recognising them as a sign of a healthy woman.”

Freda is an online subscription service which understands that every cycle is different, and allows customers to select their own combination of products and absorbencies based on their period.

Using artificial intelligence to predict a customers start date, Freda’s online period tracker allows customers to sync the delivery of their products to ensure they arrive a few days before your cycle.

The tracker combines an algorithm and insight from specialist consultant gynaecologists. As a customer inputs their personal data, the algorithm gets to know their period cycles over time which makes even irregular periods more predictable and the Freda delivery timelier.

Freda tampons and pads are made in Scandinavia and Central Europe where they have been producing different period essentials for over 70 years.

Freda pads are made with eco-friendly materials including 100% chlorine-free, renewable and sustainable wood pulp for their superior ability to absorb and retain liquids. Individually wrapped in bio-film, they contain no dyes, fragrances, deodorants or any polymer-based absorbents, and are hypoallergenic for sensitive skin and improved protection.

Affi added: “I was struck by the lack of available information around what actually goes into pads and tampons. Just as we pay attention to what goes into the foods that we eat and the products we put on our skin, we should also be able to make a more informed decision when it comes to the most intimate product we as women use.

“Do women realise that some high street pads and tampons are actually made of chemicals, fragrances, dyes, rayon, polyester, polyethylene,polyproprylene, chlorine and pesticides which are linked to health conditions? And would they continue buying these brands on auto-pilot if they did?”

Freda also advocates responsibility around period care provision for women and girls worldwide regardless of their circumstances.

“Access to period care is a basic human and universal right, not a luxury”, says Affi. The lives and education of hundreds of millions of girls worldwide are impeded by not having access to period essentials - and in 2018 that’s simply not OK.”

Freda also has retail plans to make pads and tampons available on the high street. She explained: “By offering better access to period products we’re helping to normalise what is a natural process. After all, we’re not expected to carry around our own toilet paper. From today, women now have better access to period care and an easier way to manage their periods.”